Writing a curriculum vitae (1)

Picture of a clipboard with CV written on top

Have you ever had to write a curriculum vitae? Did you find it difficult? This is the first of two sections which will help you to think about the language you need to write a good CV.

Instructions and downloads

To do these activities you will need to download and print out João's CV, and the person specification for the job he wants to apply for.

Joao's CV

Person specification

Preparation

What is a CV?

What is a person specification?

Go to the "Answers" section, below, to find out.

Does João’s CV match all the skills and experience listed in the person specification? Is he a good candidate for the job?

Is the CV different to those used in other countries you know?

Task 1 - what do you know about CVs?

What do you know about writing CVs?

Test yourself with these questions about writing CVs for jobs in the UK.

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Task 2 - sections of a CV

CVs are made up of different sections including:

A Profile – A short positive statement about yourself.
Skills - describes the things you can do.
Education – about courses you have done at school, college or university.
Experience – about jobs or voluntary positions you have had.

In the activity below, sort the information from João’s CV into the right sections.

You will need to use Joao’s CV to help you (see instructions and downloads).

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Task 3 - vocabulary

In CVs it is important to use positive vocabulary to impress the person who is going to give you the job.

This exercise will help you find words and phrases to describe:

customer service skills
administration skills
how you work in a team
how you use your initiative

Click on the paint tubes to select a colour - then paint the words that go in that category.

Click on ‘check your answers’ to see if you are correct.

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Answers

A CV is a document which you give to an employer when you apply for a job.

It is a summary of your education, skills and work that you have done.

A person specification is a document which lists the skills and experience needed in order to be able to do a particular job.
Before you apply for a job, you need to read the person specification and make sure you have all the skills and experience listed on it.

The more skills and experience that you have that match the person specification, the better the chance you have of getting the job.

Discussion

Now move on to "Writing a curriculum vitae (2)"

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mehrnaztaghipour123

Submitted by mehrnaztaghipour123 on Sun, 02/03/2013 - 22:45.

fun and learning

Writing a curriculum vitae (1)

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